Petra SZILÁGYI

Type of support

Post-Doctoral Fellowship

Granted amount

120 000 €

Duration

2 years

“Hydrogen pumps” rather than gas pumps?

Fed up with paying too much at the gas pump? Alternative forms of energy carriers are emerging, just be patient! One may be hydrogen: when hydrogen is combined with oxygen in a fuel cell, electricity is produced. Dr. Petra Szilágyi works on potential solutions for a safe, reversible and economical storage of hydrogen. Indeed, this is a major issue to resolve prior to any extensive use of this new technology. What makes the storage of hydrogen challenging is that, in its natural state, hydrogen is a gas. Dr. Szilágyi carries out state-of-the-art high-pressure experiments to find solutions for solid-state storage. For on-board, automotive applications, her research could help hydrogen energy become a replacement for fossil fuels, which are limited and polluting. Ultimately, this could have a profound impact on the global economy, as we take one more step towards a new “hydrogen economy”.